Do You Cast .22 or .25 bullets or pellets?

[Kinetic45^]

Are you trying something other than pellets in your airgun?
How many GTA members on the Darkside are casting?
Have you wondered if there are helpful hints and other people who you could share with so you could improve your results: both casting and shooting?

There is a discussion in the Big Bore section that you might check out about casting for airguns that I would like more people to look at and voice an opinion please.
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=153490.0

Note I have been casting for my .25 air rifles for years and have had some rifles shoot very well with slugs!
It opened up a whole new world for me.

[Bob Pratl]

I, like a lot of members, have been casting for powder burners for a lot of years as it compliments the hobby. I cast because I enjoy it and not to save money because I feel that I can control most variables. It gives me an added pleasure when I pull the trigger and all goes well.

[Wayne52]

I've been casting for years for my muzzle loaders and in the past couple of years I've been casting for airguns as well, I've got several NOE molds for pellets and one NOE mold for slugs.  There is a casting section here on the forum it's https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?board=229.0

[gendoc]

I also have casted for many years for my hunting PB's and ML's
in the last couple years i've been casting bullets for my airguns
in .25 .357 .45 and .50
using lyman, noe, lee, accurate and rcbs molds and other brands

i hunt with my airguns and enjoy using my bullets.
occasional paper shooting to test bullets and setting optics.
always looking for best accuracy in velocity with the most energy.

[Wayne52]

John I'm jonesing for some warmer weather to get outside and do some casting but with below temps I don't think so.  I hate buying pellets

[Kinetic45^]

It's funny how some rifles like slugs and some only pellets.
My .25 Synrod shoots slugs (properly sized) as well as any pellet but my .25 Mrod will not shoot them as well, not terribly larger but noticably larger.
But the chase for 'perfection' is part of the attraction, haha

Still think people should vote to have the knowledge made more available to the average member/visitor by moving the cast bullet gate to with the Big Bore n Korean here in the Darkside.

[gendoc]

John I'm jonesing for some warmer weather to get outside and do some casting but with below temps I don't think so.  I hate buying pellets

i here ya wayne, in the 20's this morn here on the coast....i gotta big buck
with my PB this morning in my swamp with my cast 405gr .459 lyman
i'm too old to blood trail........

[Nvreloader]

I will,
as soon as I get all the cleanup done to the 22 cal molds,
and do some more welding done on the melting pot,
for mold holder attachment.

And finish up with the head bumping press,
to resize all pellet head/skirts to what is needed to work,
for the best accuracy, for what I want to do........   

20* inside the shop (no heat in a 40' x 40', double story) is too cold for my hands and feet,
I don't need any more problems with them etc.

Tia,
Don

[KnifeMaker]

LOL!!! Latest "Bestest" inventions Don. Insulation And a HEATER! LOL


I did without both for years in the shop. now that was not smart. Now it's so comfortable, that I want to go to sleep rather than work there. LOL!!!

[Nvreloader]

Mike

I have step one done, 6" foam/fiberglass on all 4 walls and roof, only 2" on the 14' roll up doors,
I would love to have a wood burner inside, only one problem, where?

As there as a upstairs, over 20' x 20', of the 40' x 40' x 20' high shop.
One side of the shop (North) is taken up with the Toy Hauler 28', roll up doors for in/out.

Under the 20' x 20' upstairs section, is my machine shop, Mill (2), lathe, power saw etc,
along with belt sanders (2), drill press (3), 2 wheel grinders, 2 welders, (stick/wire), 2, 4 x 6' work benches,
2 x 10' metal work bench, plus a lot of mics tools.

On the other side, is my reloading room 8 x 20', and a 8' square reefer/cold room, 12" thick with insulation,
and a small shower/toilet stuffed into the corner.

Only have a small 8' x 10' open clear section to the side of the one roll up door,
for working on any projects, I can get in there. 

When halfway tolerable temps are present, I open both roll up doors to let the heat in and the cold out,
but everything you touch/stand on is 20* etc, and cold concrete is COLD to stand on etc,
hands and feet just don't handle those temps very well, anymore.

Tia,
Don

[rkr]

John I'm jonesing for some warmer weather to get outside and do some casting but with below temps I don't think so.  I hate buying pellets

i here ya wayne, in the 20's this morn here on the coast....i gotta big buck
with my PB this morning in my swamp with my cast 405gr .459 lyman
i'm too old to blood trail........

Stop biggering, it's -20C here and dropping I do cast .224, .257 and .357 bullets, do have some .45 molds from trade but have yet to use them.

[KnifeMaker]

Don, as a true Texican, I hate anything much under 72 degrees. LOL!!!


I - Don't -  Like - Cold!!!  Unless it's something I'm drink'n!



Man, I wish I had the room for a Lathe. I have a handful of projects needing attention. Next is an O ring groove in the breach of the .257 TJ's barrel blank. 


Mike

[rsterne]

.22 cal NOE Magnum Hunter Pellets that I cast today....



I did the lightest and the next one today.... 23.2 gr. and 24.6 gr.... I plan on doing the two heavier ones next....

Bob

[Wayne52]

Bob those Magnum Hunters are one of my favorites for hunting, my PCP's live on a steady diet of those, the accuracy is unreal and even at 50 yards they're flat out devastating on squirrels.  I'm sure you'll probably try them out this coming spring when the marmot's come out.  We call them woodchucks or ground hogs here on my turf

[maraudinglizard]

I am at the mercy of the weather as well, cold with rain is not helping. Waiting to try out the NOE .30 and .357 molds. I have casted from the first molds that came out in .25 with great success. I have not tried the gen 2 molds yet. Casting for my big bore arsenal has saved me a bunch of money and can spend more time shooting without running out of ammo. I will just have to go into overdrive with the casting pot.

[Aldea6]

I recently get a box of swaged slugs in .25 cal , 34.4 grains from Nielsen Specialty Ammo ; as shown in the picture they are hollow point , flat dish. I shot 5 through my Cricket at 55 yards and 56Fpe ; group was sub 1/2 inch.
The bad new : they are MUCH more expensive than "normal" pellets. So my idea is to cast them myself , but I was unable 'till now to find a mold giving the same shape and weight. If anybody could help….welcome 

[rsterne]

Wayne, I think Marmots are usually called "Rockchucks" because they prefer rocky mounds and piles of logs, rather than more open grasslands.... The species we have here are "Yellow-Bellied Marmots".... We also have  a lot of "Columbian Ground Squirrels"....

Bob

[Lion]

The smallest caliber slugs that I cast is 5,55mm (35 grain). The largest is .50 cal (380 grain)
In .25 I cast 6,4mm 49 grains slugs and I hope to receive new moulds for .25 cal. in two weeks.

[Kinetic45^]

I recently get a box of swaged slugs in .25 cal , 34.4 grains from Nielsen Specialty Ammo ; as shown in the picture they are hollow point , flat dish. I shot 5 through my Cricket at 55 yards and 56Fpe ; group was sub 1/2 inch.
The bad new : they are MUCH more expensive than "normal" pellets. So my idea is to cast them myself , but I was unable 'till now to find a mold giving the same shape and weight. If anybody could help….welcome 

This is where I would like to get a group buy and get Al at NOE to make such a mold, for the .25, not .257!
I'd commit to one.
Anyone else interested?
Bob, can you help with this?

I'd like it to be a RG hollow point but I don't want it smooth sided, I would like it to have the Lee style 'Tumble Lube' grooves to ease chambering and reduce bore friction.  They make it easier to go through chokes too so should be more accurate.  It would only have maybe 2 or 3 grooves since the bullet is short.

The 34.7 are .328 but with the side grooves and a suitable HP,  I think .340 might be better length to try for.

[Ribbonstone]

I have cast .22 bullets for the one PCP  that could shoot them fast enough to useful (lets say something like 25gr. at 900fps).

I don't bother any more...it''snot that much more usefulto justiidy the effort on my partOthe 34gr. JSB's do nearly thesame trickat allthe ranges I normally shoot at)

NBot to get me tatally wrong here...I LIKE that I could go "off the grid" and make cawsetsluts that would work with that one4 rifle....just that the 24gr. JSB .22's are not so farbehind them that I'd NEED to.

Build (or buy) a high pressure PCP,with a faster twist barrelo, teathered to a higther pressure tank, and you can sling really heavy .22 slugs at near .22LR speeds (or at least .22 sub-sonic match speeds0...but that aint't your every day sporter PCP.

Soooo... yes I have (cast them)...and no I don't (continue to cast them).   Nice to know I CAN,just that nothing I do NEEDS them....but if it rings your bell, then do it.

Only advice I'dgive is this: if you are going to go "slug shooter4", then don't 1/2arse it..go all the way. THAT I can see as uesful,but if you just play awround with it (As I did) ande only manage a little better than factory pellets...just use the factory pellets.